Seven tips to fix shut down issue in Mac

Reopen windows

Users know that when turning off your mac, the dialog box contains an option to reopen windows when you log back in. Now, this feature is handy, especially when you want to pick up from yesterday's work. But it also means that the OS has to store your sessions into the hard drive. This process consumes time, and delays the shut down. Therefore, ensure that the box is unchecked during shutdown.

Print tasks

Incomplete print jobs stick around and do not let mac turn off. If you use a printer, chances are that one print job might be causing the trouble. Open Apple Menu and go to Printers and Scanners within System Preferences. Select your printer and you'll see Open Print Queue. Delete the tasks that are open.

Close apps

Opening too many apps is akin to cramming the device's memory. It also slows down performance if you're using an older version. While some apps may close, some linger and delay shutting down. You can close it manually by pressing Cmd+Q, or Cmd+Option+Esc to select apps and force quit them.

Hard Disk space

A full or nearly full hard disk causes problems to every computer. The apps need space to store temporary data, so does the OS. Free up space on the disk by clearing out software or data you don't need and shut down should improve.

Disk Health

A disk in good health outperforms one that's bad. That may be a no-brainier, but most us don't pay attention to this simple issue. Open Disk Utility, this is a built-in app. Select the drive and click on First Aid. Continue till the disk beings to get scanned. Any errors will be spotted and fixed.

Clear caches

Caches are required for mac to access certain apps and functions. There are two ways you can clear caches. The Kernel Cache is used by mac to boot quickly. Clearing these timely evens out performance and improves shut down time. While turning on your system, hold Shift along with the power button. This boots mac in safe mode. Keep holding until you see the login window.

Delete caches from the apps by opening Spotlight and typing ~/Library/Caches. Clear the contents of each sub folder instead of deleting the folders itself.

NVRAM/PRAM

NVRAM/PRAM and SMC are two attributes of mac while control core functions. To reset them, press Cmd+Option+P+R simultaneously. Hold these until see the logo appear and disappear. Resetting them improves both boot and shutdown speeds.